To Stand Against the Dark
by Mkchief34
Summary: When a Republic Investigation in the Outer Rim into attacks on neutral colony ships leads the Jedi to the Sol System of the Milky Way Galaxy, they must ally themselves with the Guardians of the Traveler to avert a new threat that would see both galaxies drown in Darkness. Set in Season 2 of Clone Wars and after the death of Oryx in The Taken King. On Hiatus for the moment.
1. Chapter 1 - Light and Darkness

While en route to Coruscant for a debrief and repairs following the second invasion of Geonosis, Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano, accompanied by Obi-Wan Kenobi, are tasked with an urgent mission.

A neutral colony ship en route to an uncharted world near Wild Space was attacked by unknown forces, with no survivors found amongst the wreckage.

This is the third attack in such a manner in the past month alone, and pressure grows on the Senate and the Jedi to investigate. The Chancellor dispatches the three Jedi, the Cruiser Resolute, and the Clones of the 212th and 501st Legion to look into the attacks and find those responsible...

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In the Sol System of the Milky Way Galaxy, the Guardians of the Last City continue to fight a never-ceasing battle against the Darkness. With the threat of the Taken King ended, and the City once again safe from the malice of Oryx, the Vanguard turn their attention to Mars.

Ever since the deaths of several prominent Cabal commanders, including those of the Skyburners, the Cabal on Mars have grown desperate to survive against attacks by the Vex and intrusions by the Guardians.

However, rumors soon reach the Vanguard of a new Valus commanding what remains of Valus Ta'uarc's Siege Dancers combined with the Blind Legion. Combined, they have begun to spread out of the ruined City of Freehold and into Vex Territory. They are not looking to conquer, but to search for something.

With this new threat, the Vanguard sends the Guardians of Fireteam Horizon, the Heroes of the Last City, to investigate this new Commander and eliminate him and his forces to scatter the Cabal once again.

XXXX

Both of these stories shall soon meet, and must unite against a threat that would see both galaxies be sundered in the Darkness.


	2. Chapter 2 - Stranded

_Hyperspace, near the border of the Outer Rim_

_Republic Cruiser Resolute_

"Anakin, how many times must I find you here, even after I've told you otherwise?" asked Obi-Wan Kenobi as he approached the central command table with Admiral Yularen. "There isn't going to be anything new until we reach the site of the latest attack."

Anakin Skywalker sighed and looked at his fellow Jedi with a sigh of annoyance.

"I'm sorry, Master." he said. "It's just these reports don't make any sense to me. Three neutral transport ships were attacked in the space of a month, and they send one cruiser to deal with it. It just seems...underwhelming."

"How so?" Obi-Wan asked. "I'm quite fascinated as to why that is."

"Because there were no bodies, no evidence on the ship's logs as to what attacked them, and no reason as to why we should even be out here." Anakin groaned. "We're in the middle of a war, we can't stop fighting just to investigate some attacks that were most likely just freak accidents."

"Accident or not, we still have a job to do." Obi-Wan said. "But you are correct, they are odd to look at from the inquisitive eye. There's almost no evidence that these ships even existed. The only reason we know about them was the recommendation from the Senate that we look into this."

"True." said Anakin's Padawan Ahsoka Tano as she came in. "But I agree that this whole thing seems kind of eerie. They send three Jedi and two Clone battalions to investigate something like this? If anything, it seems excessive."

"Very astute, Ahsoka." Obi-Wan complimented. "But whatever it is, we'll get to the bottom of it."

As the Resolute exited Hyperspace, arriving at the site of the last repored attack, Captain Rex and Commander Cody arrived and saluted.

"Cody, anything new?" Obi-Wan asked.

"We've arrived at our destination, sir, but there's nothing here." Cody said. "This is definitely it, but no sign of the last colony ship."

"Well, great." Anakin said. "So, we just sit around and wait for something to happen?"

Then, something shook the Resolute with enough force to stagger everyone onboard.

"What was that?" Rex asked. "Report!"

"Some kind of gravitational wave." Yularen said from his post. "It's wreaking havoc on our communications and engines. We're not too far away from losing all power."

"Can you get us out of here?" Anakin asked.

"I'm not sure, sir." a Clone replied. "Something's inside our system and it's disabling everything. I can't lock it out!"

"What could possibly bypass our security like that?" Ahsoka asked, only for a loud, metallic roar to echo through the ship.

"I think that might have something to do with it!" Rex spoke as a black hole appeared off the Resolute's bow, and something came out of it that sent shivers down the spine of everyone on board the ship.

It was some kind of droid, only it was just as big, if not bigger than the Resolute itself. It was made from a gleaming white metal with golden highlights, with a spindly, three-pronged tail. Long arms with sharp claws lay on its sides, and in the middle of its head was one piercing red eye.

"What in hell's name is that?" Cody cried.

"I do not know…" Obi-Wan replied, slowing heading for the window. As the massive droid lifted its arms and formed a ball of blue energy in its claws, it began to hum in a metallic voice.

"What's it doing?" Anakin ordered.

"General! It's remotely activating our Hyperdrive!" a Clone reported. "It's taking us somewhere! It's got complete control over all of our systems!"

"Can we open fire on it?" Anakin yelled back.

"Negative! All of our weapons batteries are disabled!" the Clone replied as he frantically worked at the controls. As the droid opened up some kind of portal in his arms, the Resolute entered hyperspace, flying right into the newly-opened portal. The Resolute vanished into the swirling vortex, leaving no trace of its previous position behind.

As the cruiser disappered, the Vex Mind finished its song and gave a nod of approval to itself. Ever since this galaxy's inhabitants had descended into galactic-scale civil war, Vex intrusions into this timeline were becoming less and less noticeable.

That is, until the three colony ships discovered the uninhabited world that the Vex were mechanizing to use as a foothold in this timeline. Each time they arrived, the vessels were displaced in time and later destroyed. The Vex knew that something would come to investigate sooner or later, and they would be dealt with appropriately.

Thus, Cirathion, the Sectoral Mind, was tasked with removing the responders by any means necessary, a task the Mind thoroughly enjoyed, as much as a reality-bending robot could do.

Cirathion was not only well-known among the Vex, but feared for his ruthlessness and high station among the Collective. The units under his command obeyed him at all cost, for there was extensive records among them of what happpened when a lower-ranked Mind tried to usurp control of the Odrix Sectoral.

He was destroyed in such a brutal way that the Sectoral units never spoke of it again. For all Vex fear their minds, and Cirathion was to be feared most of all.

As the Resolute sped through uncharted Hyperspace, Admiral Yularen ordered a damage report from the Bridge Crew.

"We're still locked out of the system, but that thing left us defenseless." a Clone technician reported. "Our main batteries and shields are down, our hyperdrive isn't responding, and we're operating on reserve power. Our chances of survival aren't friendly, Admiral."

"Have every Clone at their battle station and prepared for surface landing." Obi-Wan ordered. "Once we arrive at our destination, we must be ready for whatever greets us."

"And our destination is currently what, in particular?" Anakin asked. "I don't think I've seen a droid like that before."

"I don't think anyone has." Obi-Wan replied. "That droid could remotely pull us into hyperspace, disable the systems of an entire Republic Cruiser, and do all of that in only a few moments. It's far more advanced than being a mere droid, that's for certain."

"So...what are you saying, General?" Cody asked.

"I think we're dealing with something more powerful than anything we could've imagined." Obi-Wan sighed. "Can we contact the Jedi Temple?"

"Comms are still down, sir." a second technician said. "We're trying to reboot the system, but it's nearly fried."

"Keep at it." Rex ordered. "We'll need this cruiser at full capacity if we're going to survive out here."

Then, there was a shudder as the Resolute exited Hyperspace, the viewport displayed a reddish-brown desert world with several moons. As the Clones and Jedi stood dumbstruck, Anakin crossed his arms.

"Well, I guess that's where we're landing." he sighed. "Can we scan for a landing zone?"

"I'm already on it." another Clone said. "There seems to be a ruined city of some kind here, in the northern hemisphere, near this polar region. It looks abandoned."

"Good. We can set up a forward outpost while we get the ship back in order." Obi-Wan said. "Take us down."

As the Resolute began to descend, the crew of the Republic Cruiser didn't notice a black, spined satellite on the starboard bow. It began to take video and images of them, before sending them to an unknown destination.

_Mars, Hellas Basin_

_Clovis Bray Warmind Development Facility_

Rasputin, AI Warmind and protector of the Sol System, began to analyze the data the orbiting Warsat had sent him only a few moments earlier. It displayed an unknown, but armed vessel with two spires descending towards the ruined city of Freehold…

…deep in Cabal-occupied territory. Rasputin filed the footage away, thinking nothing of it.

That is, until he began to analyze the design of the ship itself on a whim of artifical thought. It was not Cabal, nor Fallen or Hive, or even Vex in design. It was too angular for the Cabal, they used a more broad, simplistic design. It was clearly not a Fallen Ketch, and most Hive Tombships were currently in the orbit of Saturn, near the fallen Dreadnought.

Rasputin furrowed his metaphorical brow. If this ship came from a species unknown to humanity, he had to be sure they were not a threat. Even if it meant revealing his presence or worse, engaging them with the Warsats.

Rasputin was programmed to defend humanity and its domains until his last breath. He couldn't fight whatever these beings were. But, he knew who could.

The Warmind began preparing a beacon to the Guardians of the Last City, to the Vanguard. He didn't trust the Guardians completely as of now, but seeing as they destroyed a Fallen Shank that was trying to access his network, and stopped a Hive intrustion earlier than that, they would likely know how to approach this situtation.

Rasputin swallowed his pride and activated the beacon.

As the Resolute set itself down inside a mesa bordering the ruined city,, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka, followed by Rex and Cody, began preparing four Clone squads, two from each Battalion, for a scouting run.

Seeing as they didn't know what they would be up against, they were advised by Admiral Yularen to take a pair of AT-TE tanks as their method of transport, with V-19 Torrent Fighters in case of trouble from the air.

"So, Captain?" CT-5555, or Fives, asked. "What's our rules of engagement?"

"Weapons low but ready." Rex replied. "As far as we know, there's no one here, but if there is and they aren't friendly, we take them out."

"Glad to hear it." Fives's fellow Clone, Echo, said. "We'll be in and out in no time."

"Let's not get too hasty, guys." Ahsoka said. "We don't know for sure what's waiting for us. So let's get a move on."

"Yes, ma'am!" Rex said as the four squads loaded the tanks, followed by the Jedi. "Alright everyone, let's go!"

As the Tanks descended the Resolute's deployment ramp, they didn't notice that their position had already been compromised.

A Cabal Psion, followed by two Legionaries, and equipped with a Headhunter Rifle, visually scanned the landed ship through its scope. The three-unit Cabal team was unusual, but for the Cabal, these were unusual circumstances.

Ever since the death of Valus Ta'aurc, the Siege Dancers and Blind Legion were on the brink of fighting amongst themselves. That is, until a new Valus, previously, a Val, by the name of Cu'uran, united the two groups with what remained of the Skyburners to form a new Cabal legion, the Black Tide.

These newly recruited Cabal donned the colors of their new Commander and began scavenging from the Vex in small excursions in order to build supplies and morale. Their new Base of Operations was an old Metro station beneath the city. And so far, these Cabal were prospering. They had amassed a store of pillaged Vex tech, and were keen on using it to further their territory, if the Guardians of Earth did not interfere.

_Earth, the Last City_

_Vanguard Room, Tower_

"Zavala, I've got something you should see." said the Warlock Vanguard, Ikora Rey. The Titan Vanguard Commander Zavala looked up from his usual array of reports to glance at his friend and fireteam member.

"Rasputin has sent us some concerning data regarding a new development on Mars." Ikora said. "We have some new guests near Freehold."

"Show me." Zavala ordered, all precognitions about the Warmind forgotten. The feed now streamed to his personal datapad showed an angular, dagger-like ship entering the orbit of mars. It was colored white and red, and Zavala recognized it wasn't a Cabal or Vex design.

"What fireteams do we have available?" he asked.

"Just one." Cayde-6, the Hunter Vanguard said, coming in. "Fireteam Horizon's just clocked in from their mission on Venus. Plus, I've been tracking a new Cabal commander who managed to unite three legions in less than a week. Two birds with one stone, if you ask me.."

Surprised that he agreed with Cayde for once, Zavala nodded.

"Get them out there ASAP." he said. "Cayde, I trust that you can brief them while en route?"

"Yep." Cayde said, brushing aside his maps to power up his datapad. "Fireteam Horizon, this is Cayde-6, you copy?"

"Loud and clear." came the voice of Anubis-3, an Exo Titan and the leader of the fireteam.

"We've got unknown contacts in Freehold bordering on territory held by a new Cabal commander." Cayde said. "Can you investigate and knock out, in that order?"

"We copy, Cayde." Anubis replied. "Rainea, James, and I are en route. We'll get it done in no time."

"Glad to hear it." Cayde smirked. "Get to it."

As three retrofitted and upgraded Arcadia Jumpships exited the orbit of Venus and headed to Mars, Anubis-3 finished speaking with Cayde and gave a mechanical sigh as he adjusted the ship's courses for Meridian Bay.

"Something wong?" askedd Rainea Thoren, an Awoken Warlock over the comms channel. "You seem rather pensieve, Anubis."

"Just thinking." Anubis replied, his Ghost turning to him in surprise. Anubis's Ghost, or Dusty, was painted with the Titan's Sigil in brown, hence his name.

"That's a new one from you, Anubis." Dusty said. "You've never been like this for a while now.."

"Yeah, that ship has me a bit concerned." Anubis replied. "We've got the Fallen, Vex, Cabal, and Hive, plus the Taken to deal with, and all of them want to kill us. It would be nice to have something friendly show up."

"Amen to that." said the Human Hunter James Mendoza. "Anyway, we can brood on all of that later. We've got a mission to do."

"Roger that." Anubis replied as their ships exited Warp and entered the orbit of Mars. "We'll be in and out, just like always."

As they landed in the Martian dust and sand, their arms and armor glistened in the sunlight. Anubis's Holdfast Custom Titan plate, Rainea's Eclipse Maw Warlock robes, and James's Fear Eater Mark II Hunter garb were clean of dust, as always.

"Fireteam Horizon, let's move." Anubis said as each of them deployed their Sparrows and sped off towards Freehold. But atop a crevice near the Landing Zone, a black-clad Psion and a pair of Phalanxes watched them depart.


	3. Chapter 3 - The Black Tide

Cabal Command Center, Old Metro

Central Deck

"Valus Cu'uran, we have a new problem. Several in fact." a Legionary clad in the regalia of a Val reported. The massive Centurion he was addressing, wearing all sorts of armor and regalia, turned away from his desk and faced the Legionary.

"Speak." Valus Cu'uran reported.

"There are several unknown beings approaching the old city." the Legionary reported. "They are not Vex, nor are they Guardians. They primarily consist of humanoids in white armor. They have also come with what I presume are tanks."

Cu'uran turned and thought for a few moments.

"Where are they now?" he asked.

"Approaching the eastern defense line." the Legionary said. "Shall we intercept them?"

"Yes, but do not engage them under any circumstances until I arrive." Cu'uran ordered. "If these new beings are not from this system, they could prove valuable to us. Assemble the scouts and delay them."

"As you command, Valus."

The Legionary saluted, and left. Valus Cu'uran began to access a stolen Vex datacore his raiders had plundered a week earlier, in an attempt to see if the Vex knew what was going on. The salvaged Vex tech, linked rather haphazardly to Cabal interfaces, displayed no matches.

Cu'uran placed his hands to his helmet in a gesture of thought. If these beings were soldiers or warriors, and they most likely were, engaging them would be a foolhardy move.

The Valus plucked a Heavy Slug Thrower and headed for a waiting Cabal Harvester, already fueled and loaded with three Black Tide platoons, and two Threshers were in the air for escort. As they flew off towards the unknown beings, they didn't notice the Guardians of Fireteam Horizon watching them from a nearby balcony being used as a transmat point.

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"Those Cabal are going somewhere fast." James said, as he adjusted the scope on his Vanguard-Issue Sniper Rifle. "I think we should follow them."

"I agree." Anubis said. "Those two ships beside the Harvester, I've never seen them before."

"I believe they are called Threshers, Anubis." Rainea said. "Ikora told me they're used for fast attack and aerial support as single-unit fighter craft."

"Hmm." Anubis said. "If push comes to shove, we'd better take those out first before the Cabal pin us down. We got tracking on that Harvester?"

"Yep." Rainea said. "It's heading towards the edge of the city, on the eastern side. Let's get moving, we don't have much time."

As the Guardians transmatted down to the bottom of the skyscraper and mounted their Sparrows, they tore off in pursuit of the Cabal.

As the Jedi and Clones that made up the task force moved with their two AT-TE tanks, Ahsoka looked around through the sky at an odd noise.

"What's up, Snips?" Anakin asked.

"I heard something." Ahsoka said. "It sounded like aircraft engines, and I think it's getting closer."

"Maybe it's the locals." Cody suggested.

"Or maybe it's that." Obi-Wan said, pointing to three bulky, angular shapes in the distance. As they neared, they realized the shapes were actually a transport vessel and two fighters for escort. As the Clones and Jedi readied their weapons, the three vessels took landing positions.

As the transport hovered in front of them, hatches opened on the side. Three squads of strange beings jumped out, blowing up clouds of dust on landing. They were bulky and broad, and wore black and silver-colored armor with helmets obscuring their faces. Many of them held some kind of gun in their hands, though others carried a large shield of some kind. As they took defensive positions, their clear leader disembarked. It was at least three times bigger than the others, with plumes and medals adorning its armor. This one carried a triple-barrelled cannon in its massive hands.

As the Clones readied their weapons, the massive one came forward and spoke in Basic, though it was pronounced rather roughly.

"You are very brave or very foolish to come like you have into my domain, beings." it said in a masculine voice. "But for the sake of hospitality, I will entertain you. I am Valus Cu'uran, of the Cabal Black Tide. I ask your motives for coming here."

The beings were shaken, but the ones in armor kept their weapons up.

"I promise that we mean you no threat." said one with pale brown hair and wearing whitish-brown robes. "I am General Obi-Wan Kenobi, Master of the Jedi Order. This is Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, and Apprentice Ahsoka Tano. The men behind us are Clone Troopers under our command. We are here because we were attacked and our ship landed here for repairs. We are peacekeepers and ambassadors from another galaxy, Valus."

The Valus tilted his head with an air of fascination.

"If that is so…" he said. "Then I have no need to use force against you. You are fortunate that you encountered me, General Kenobi. My predecessors would have been less...negotiable with you."

"Why's that?" Anakin asked.

"Because they are dead." the Valus replied. "All slain in battle. I will spare you the details, but I will tell you this, Jedi. We are not the only ones in this system you must be wary of. Come, I will give you shelter for the time being."

As the various Cabal broke formation and returned to the Harvester, Anakin motioned the AT-TEs and the Clones forward, not noticing the glint of a sniper scope near them, atop a sand dune.

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"You hear that?" James asked Anubis-3. "You all heard that, right?"

"I did." Anubis-3 replied. "If they're really from another galaxy, they don't know what the Cabal are capable of. We need to engage."

"I think that's a bad idea." Rainea said. "If we follow them to where they are going, they'll lead us right to their command center. There, we secure all the intel we can find, then we engage them. And hopefully those beings won't shoot at us."

"Here's hoping." James said. "Alright, let's go."

As the three Guardians began to follow the Cabal and their guests, Anubis kept his Vanguard-Issue Auto Rifle at the ready.

XXXX

As the Cabal, Jedi, and Clones entered the metro command station, Valus Cu'uran took a set at his desk as the Jedi and Clones relaxed.

"You may leave your tanks here." Cu'uran said. "We will not disturb them in any way."

"Our thanks, Valus." Obi-Wan replied. "What can you tell us about this system?"

"I will inform you of what I know." the Valus said. "This system is populated by four other races apart from us. But first, you must know this planet is known as Mars."

The Valus brought up a map through a holographic table.

"Each planet in this system is controlled by one or two of each race." the Valus said. "This planet, Mars, belongs to us."

"What about this one?" Ahsoka asked, pointing to a slightly smaller planet next to Mars.

"That is Earth, young one." the Valus said. "And we dare not tread within an inch of that world. For it is the home of the Guardians."

"Guardians?" Anakin asked.

"They are known as Light Bearers in our dialect,but they call themselves Guardians." the Valus said. "They are warriors of the Light, a force so powerful it can preserve them from death."

The Jedi flinched at that statement, including the Clones.

"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan asked, shocked.

"They are said to be immortal." the Valus said. "The Guardians are gifted with powers beyond your comprehension, and one of them is the ability to come back from death should they fall in battle. They have slaughtered countless numbers of each race in the name of protecting their home. For this system once belonged to them, and they still treat it as their own."

"How powerful are we talking here?" Anakin requested.

"The Guardians have slain Gods." the Valus said. "And that is no exaggeration on my behalf. They have slain many of our warriors, including the commanders of each Legion that now comprise my Black Tide."

The Jedi and the Clones were stunned.

"How?" Ahsoka asked.

"Through the powers of the Light." the Valus said. "I do not know more than that. These Guardians live in a great City on the world of Earth. We Cabal fear little, but the Guardians we fear most of all."

"Have you tried negotiating with them?" Obi-Wan asked.

"No." the Valus said. "By the time our expeditions first came to this system, they had been attacked by three other races who all sought the demise of their own kind. They assumed and still assume that we are a threat as well. I see no reason to correct them, because they do not listen to us."

"I see." Obi-Wan said. "Thank you for the information, Valus."

"My pleasure." the Valus said. "I must now advise you to leave."

"Why is that?" Ahsoka asked.

"Because the Guardians are here, in this base. They have been tracking us for quite some time. And I believe they came here to kill me." the Valus said. "Guardians, if you came to seek my death, I am ready. Come forward."

"If you insist." a voice said. The Clones and Jedi saw three humanoid beings appear. One wore heavy plate armor and a waist-sash marked with a roaring feline beast. The second wore vestments with a long cloak emblazoned with a snake. The last one wore robes like a Jedi, only they also featured light armor. It wore an armband with a display of a soaring bird. As they approached, the one in plate armor, their clear leader, cracked his knuckles.

"Shall we dance, Valus?" he asked.

"Indeed." the Valus replied. "General Kenobi, I ask that you and your forces stay out of this. This is my battle to win or lose."

As the Cabal stepped back, the Guardians came forward to face their enemy.


	4. Chapter 4 - Born of Light

As the Guardians approached the Valus, Ahsoka, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and the Clones stared at them in awe. Their clear leader, the one in plate armor, took the point position in the group. The other two, the one in robes, and the other wearing rogue's garb, took the left and right flanks.

"Let us begin." the Valus boomed, opening fire with his Heavy Slug Thrower.

"As you wish." the lead Guardian replied, as he rushed forward and jumped into the air, throwing his hand to the side. As he did so, there was a flash of brilliant orange energy akin to an ever-burning fire, and the jaws of every Jedi and Clone present fell to the ground.

The Guardian now carried an ornately carved hammer, burning with flame that seemed to be covering him in its embrace. It coursed through his hands and into the hammer, and the Guardian rushed the Valus, proclaiming three words.

"Hammer of Sol!" the Guardian roared, throwing the burning hammer into the Valus's helmet with a roar of fury. The hammer flew true and impacted in a great explosion of flame, and before the eyes of the Jedi and Clones, a new Hammer reformed in his hand, ready to be unleashed once more.

"Light 'em up!" the Titan roared as the other two sprung to action. The one in the cloak leaped into the air like the leader, only instead of flame, there was a blast of purple energy. A bow of purple light formed in his hands, and the Guardian took aim.

"Shadowshot!" he cried, as the arrow flew through the salvo of Cabal slugs and impacted the Valus's chest, and formed a ball of swirling energy. The Valus immediately recoiled as a purple aura covered him, tethering him to the ground and preventing him from returning fire. As the remaining Guardian charged forward, the lead one continued to summon and throw his "Hammer of Sol" with deadly accuracy, the final Guardian summoned a blast of electrical energy around herself.

This time, the vision of everyone there turned blue as the fury of pure, unfettered lightning formed around her, coalescing into her hands. As the final Guardian channeled the storm into the Valus's chest, she sent blasts of Arc Energy throughout the makeshift arena. As the storm faded out, the Valus fell to one knee, then the other. As he collapsed to the ground, the three Guardians approached.

"You fight with honor and power, Guardians...but He will soon come, and He will end you all." the Valus groaned with his dying breaths.

"And we'll be ready." the lead Guardian said, ending the life of Valus Cu'uran with a single, blazing fist directly to the head. As the Valus lay dead, the Guardians approached the remaining Val.

"Who's next?" their leader asked.

"No one is next, Guardian." the Val replied. "We will honor our late commander with our final rites. We ask for peace in honor of your battle."

"Agreed." the robed one said. "But the Jedi and the Clones will come with us, and you won't pursue us when we leave. Does that sound fair?"

"Fair." the Val replied, bowing with one hand to his chest. "Leave and revel in your victory, Guardians. You have earned it."

The Guardians nodded and the Cabal in the area dispersed into the dark, leaving the stunned Jedi and Clones alone with them. As the three of them approached Obi-Wan, the awestruck Jedi came forward.

"In all my years, I've never seen anything like that before." he said. "Was that the "Power of the Light" that the Valus told us about?"

"Yes." the Plated Guardian replied. "We'll tell you more, but later. We should get moving to wherever you came from. There, we'll establish negotiations and take you to the Last City. But be warned, if you try anything, we will treat you as a threat."

"You won't have to worry about a thing." Obi-Wan replied. "Alright everyone, let's move!"

"Yes, sir!" Rex and Cody said as the Clones loaded up into the AT-TEs. As the Guardians summoned their Sparrows, further mystifying their guests, they led the way out of the old metro and to the Martian surface, where the stars were becoming visible in the night sky.

As the Clones, Jedi, and Guardians trekked the worn path back to the Resolute, inside the lead AT-TE, Obi-Wan and the Jedi sat down across from the Guardians.

"So, I don't believe we caught your names." Ahsoka asked.

"You're correct." the robed one said. "I am Rainea Thoren, Warlock and Guardian of the Last City. My companions are Hunter James Mendoza, and Titan Anubis-3, our Fireteam Leader."

She and the other Guardians removed their helmets. Rainea and James were humanoid, with James bearing a visage like a Clone. He had pepper-black hair and a stubble beard, with piercing green eyes. Rainea, unlike James, had blue skin and wispy white hair, and a small scar on her left cheek. But what interested the Jedi, and by extension the Clones more was Anubis. He was some kind of machine. His metallic face, styled with the visage of a golden predatory feline on the forehead, was black with golden eyes and a yellow jaw. His eyes were a dark brown, and he chuckled at the Clones' stunned faces.

"Are you some kind of droid?" Rex asked.

i

"I take it droid is your general term for a robot or machine?" Anubis asked, and Rex nodded. "In that case, no, I'm not. I'm what's known as an Exo. I'm an artificial consciousness implanted into a mechanical chassis. What separates me from what you might call a droid is that I'm basically sapient."

"Incredible." Obi-Wan said. "How many of your kind exist?"

"I'm not sure." Anubis said. "I've never actually thought about how many Exo are out there. Nearly all of us are Guardians, I know a few who aren't, but we're decently populated. Anyway, where do we start?"

"Can you tell us how you got those powers?" Anakin asked.

"Simple. We died." Anubis replied. "And before you start speaking, let us explain. Dusty?"

To further their guests' surprise, a small object appeared next to Anubis's head. It was a small, spiked, circular object painted white, with the same sigil as Anubis's waist-sash. It also featured a small blue eye.

"Sure thing, Anubis." the object said. "My name is Dusty, or rather that's my nickname. I am a Ghost, born of the Traveler's Light. To be more specific, I'm Anubis's Ghost. I serve as his companion and guide, among other responsibilities. One of them is resurrecting him should he fall in battle."

"How exactly can you just...come back from the dead?" Ahsoka asked.

"That's one of the many mysteries of the Light." a second Ghost appeared next to James, bearing the snake sigil. "My name is Evs, and I can tell you a lot about it. When the Ghosts first came to be, we were tasked by the Traveler to find those worthy of the Light from amongst the dead, no matter how long it takes. There are still Ghosts searching for their Guardian even now."

"That leads me to our next point." said Rainea's Ghost, as she appeared. "I'm Storm, and the three of us have been together since we were first resurrected in the ruins of Washington DC, the former Capital of the United States of America."

"How did you know it was them?" Rex asked.

"When we find our Guardian, we just...know." Evs replied. "It's like a flash, and sudden recognition. When we find our Guardian, we use the Light given to us by the Traveler to bring them back from the dead, and turn them into Guardians."

"That's not all." Anubis said. "Since we're connected to the Light and for the most part immortal, we don't age in terms of biology. Guardians can live for over hundreds of years, but there are...drawbacks. All Guardians lose their memories of their past lives when they are resurrected, and we become infertile. Plus, our immortality is tied to the Ghosts. So, say a Guardian's Ghost was destroyed. If the Guardian is then slain, they die for good."

"Can't another Ghost just resurrect this Guardian again?" Obi-Wan asked.

"No." Rainea said. "If a Guardian's Ghost is destroyed and they die their final death, they cannot be resurrected again. Their connection to the Light is permanently severed. It requires special technology, though."

"Anyway…" Anubis said. "The Guardians have been fighting for centuries to reclaim the Sol System. Mars is only one of the planets Humanity used to inhabit before and during the Golden Age, and were lost after the Collapse."

"What happened?" Ahsoka asked.

"That particular bit of history is tough to explain, even for us." James said. "We'll tell you more when we get to the City, and you could maybe get clearance from the Vanguard to access our archives if possible. So, where did you all come from, for a change?"

This discussion took longer than the previous one. Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, Anakin, Rex, and Cody together told the Guardians of the Clone Wars, the Jedi, the Separatists, and eventually of the Force. The Guardians were skeptical at first, but when Obi-Wan lifted Anubis's Auto Rifle into the air with ease, their doubts were shown the door.

What didn't take so long was explaining how the Resolute managed to reach the Sol System. Once the Jedi told the Guardians of the massive droid, the three of them cursed rather loudly.

"You know what it was?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Maybe." Anubis said. "There's only one species that we know of that can accomplish something like that. The Vex."

"They're a race of cyborgs." Rainea said. "Advanced enough to exert control over Time and Space to a certain degree. And that's not a lie."

"Time and Space?" Ahsoka gasped. "How?"

"We don't know." Rainea said. "The Vex have multiple timelines existing in countless realities, and seeing as they can transform entire planets into machines in days, which they have done in this system...It's still a mystery."

"They've done that particular feat to the planet Mercury, and partially on Mars and Venus." Anubis said. "The Vex are basically all-knowing, time-bending, murderous robots in simple terms. We may have killed two of their most prominent Gods, the Heart of the Black Garden and Atheon, but they still keep coming."

"These machines can do that?" Rex gasped.

"Yep." James said. "And they are a real pain while doing it. Is there anything else you want to know?"

As the conversation continued, the tanks lumbered through the sands back towards the waiting Resolute.


End file.
